Ichthyomyini, a morphologically distinctive group of Neotropical cricetid rodents, lacks an integrative study of its systematics and biogeography. Since this tribe is a crucial element of the Sigmodontinae, the most speciose subfamily of the Cricetidae, we conducted a study that includes most of its recognized diversity (five genera and 19 species distributed from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia). For this report we analyzed a combined matrix composed of four molecular markers ( RBP3 , GHR , RAG1 , Cytb ) and 56 morphological traits, the latter including 15 external, 14 cranial, 19 dental, five soft-anatomical and three postcranial features. A variety of results were obtained, some of which are inconsistent with the currently accepted classification and understanding of the tribe. Ichthyomyini is retrieved as monophyletic, and it is divided into two main clades that are here recognized as subtribes: one to contain the genus Anotomys and the other composed by the remaining genera. Neusticomys (as currently recognized) was found to consist of two well supported clades, one of which corresponds to the original concept of Daptomys . Accordingly, we propose the resurrection of the latter as a valid genus to include several species from low to middle elevations and restrict Neusticomys to several highland forms. Numerous other revisions are necessary to reconcile the alpha taxonomy of ichthyomyines with our phylogenetic results, including placement of the Cajas Plateau water rat (formerly Chibchanomys orcesi ) in the genus Neusticomys ( sensu stricto ), and the recognition of at least two new species (one in Neusticomys , one in Daptomys ). Additional work is necessary to confirm other unanticipated results, such as the non-monophyletic nature of Rheomys and the presence of a possible new genus and species from Peru. Our results also suggest that ichthyomyines are one of the main Andean radiations of sigmodontine cricetids, with an evolutionary history dating to the Late Miocene and subsequent cladogenesis during the Pleistocene.

New records of the crab-eating rat Ichthyomys hydrobates (Winge, 1891) (Rodentia: Cricetidae) from Colombia. Ichthyomys hydrobates is a cricetid aquatic rodent with a discontinuous distribution ranging from Venezuela through the west and southeast Colombia towards the northwestern highlands and northwestern foothills in Ecuador. In Colombia, it is known from 4 localities in eastern and southwestern parts of the country, in Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca and Valle del Cauca municipalities at an altitudinal range between 800 to 3000 m a.s.l. This note updates the species geographic range, adding 5 new localities from the Colombian Central Cordillera. Some characteristics of its habitat and natural history are documented, showing that I. hydrobates inhabits perturbed Andean and inter-Andean ecosystems. Palabras clave: Andes Centrales. Historia natural. Ichthyomyini. Roedores acuáticos.

Abstract · Dietary studies are one of the most developed research areas in biology and ecology studies of Neotropical owls, but most of these studies have focused on few species. Our study describes the diet of Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata), and Rufous-banded Owl (Strix albitarsis) in Jardin and Ciudad Bolivar, western Andes of Colombia. The diet of T. alba, based on 495 prey items consisted 98.6% of vertebrates, the main food items being rodents (66%) and shrews (21.4%). Out of 142 prey items identified from P. perspicillata fractured pellets, the main prey species were Artibeus lituratus (23.9%), Rattus norvegicus (21.8%), and Didelphis sp. (16.1%), species of small and medium-sized mammals that tolerate environmental changes and often live in urban areas. Pulsatrix perspicillata preyed also on at least 14 bird species including hummingbirds and migratory birds. Based on 165 prey items S. albitarsis consumed more invertebrates (57.7%) than vertebrates (42.3%). Among the insects, the main preys were Coleoptera beetles and Orthoptera crickets. Among the vertebrates, the main prey species included mammals such as Thomasomys aureus, Marmosops sp., Marmosa sp., and Reithrodontomys mexicanus. These scansorial species are likely to be vulnerable to aerial predators such as S. albitarsis which hunt from a perchs. According to standardized Levins index values T. alba was the most selective in its food habits, P. perspicillata had intermediate values, while S. albitarsis showed the least selective diet.RESUMEN · Dieta de la Lechuza Común (Tyto alba), el Búho de Anteojos (Pulsatrix perspicillata) y el Búho Ocelado (Strix albitarsis) en la cordillera Occidental de Colombia Los estudios sobre hábitos tróficos constituyen la línea de investigación más desarrollada dentro de la biología y ecología de los búhos Neotropicales, pero la mayoría de esos estudios se han centrado en pocas especies. El propósito de este estudio es describir la dieta de la Lechuza Común (Tyto alba), el Búho de Anteojos (Pulsatrix perspicillata) y el Búho Ocelado (Strix albitarsis), en Jardín y Ciudad Bolívar, cordillera Occidental de Colombia. Identificamos 495 presas consumidas por T. alba. Su dieta estuvo compuesta en un 98.7% de vertebrados, principalmente roedores (66%) y musarañas (21.4%). De 142 presas de P. perspicillata, las presas principales, Artibeus lituratus (23.9%), Rattus norvegicus (21.8%) y Didelphis sp. (16.1%), son especies tolerantes a los ambientes intervenidos y hacen parte de los ensamblajes de pequeños mamíferos encontrados en ambientes urbanos. Pulsatrix perspicillata consumió también al menos 14 especies de aves incluyendo colibríes y aves migratorias. En base a 165 presas S. albitarsis consumió más invertebrados (57.7%) que vertebrados (42.3%). Entre los insectos depredó en mayor porcentaje los ordenes Coleoptera y Orthoptera, mientras que entre los vertebrados predominaron los de hábitos escansoriales (Thomasomys aureus, Marmosops sp., Marmosa sp. y Reithrodontomys mexicanus). Estos vertebrados serían más vulnerables a depredadores aéreos como S. albitarsis, la cual caza desde perchas en árboles. De acuerdo a los valores obtenidos para el índice estandarizado de Levins, T. alba fue más selectiva en el consumo de las presas, seguida por P. perspicillata, mientras que S. albitarsis tiene la dieta menos selectiva.

This third volume of the annual report on biodiversity in Colombia continues the editorial line that begun in 2014. Using novel analytical and graphic proposals, these reports have the goal of communicating the contents to a broad public, making it available for discussion without sacrificing the quality of information. The challenge of communication continues to be a major part of the institutional project, and the new languages with which we are learning to communicate with society and other institutions are an experiment that we expect to be increasingly gratifying. The report for 2017 is already under construction and it counts on new digital technologies so the power of a colombian vital connection may be entirely expressed. The included content evidences that we are still far away from having a systematic follow-up about most of the topics related to the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services, which is the only way to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and investments made by society. In fact, a limitation that is recognized is that of identifying positive or negative changes that affect different levels of organization of life on this planet; therefore, our global navigation route of the Aichi targets is still to be verified. An additional purpose of this process includes the invitation of all Colombians to contribute in constructing and maintaining basic monitoring indicators for management since it is impossible to identify long-term trends of flora and fauna in the country without the support of institutions, researchers, and citizens. This challenge is immense in a megadiverse country such as Colombia. For this reason, the report will continue to open its pages to experts, and even indigenous peoples or local communities, for them to present their perspectives about environmental change and its effects on biodiversity in a systematic and documented manner. This has the objective of stimulating the commitment of everyone in the management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The only way of overcoming the risk of extinction is through the active process of social learning in which all sectors assume a part of the complex responsibility in protecting the forms of life of the country, a roughly counted tenth of all creatures on Earth. I thank all the people that contributed in this Report, those who have supported us in the phases of production, and all readers and users, who are the ultimate judges of its utility.

Anotomys leander is an elusive rodent with the smallest known range among ichthyomyines, limited to only three localities in the Andes of Ecuador. Its last known record dates from 1980, and currently it is represented by a low number of specimens and localities, hampering knowledge about its geographic range. We provide the first Colombian record of A. leander, and its fourth known locality, based on an individual captured in Cajamarca, on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Central. The specimen exhibits all the diagnostic characteristics of the species, and it differs from Ecuadorean specimens in having a hypothenar pad and lacking a bacular cartilage. Our record extends the known range of the species 620 km northeastward, and increases the number of ichthyomyine species in Colombia to six. The assessment of its potential geographic range among areas in Ecuador and Colombia and the identification of its main threats in the latter are fundamental tasks to reassess the conservation status of this threatened Andean rodent.

Esta tercera entrega del reporte anual de la biodiversidad en Colombia profundiza en la linea editorial iniciada el ano 2014 mediante nuevas propuestas analiticas y graficas, con la intencion de garantizar que la informacion llegue a todos los publicos y pueda ser discutida de manera amena sin sacrificio de calidad. La apuesta comunicativa sigue siendo central en el proyecto institucional y los nuevos lenguajes con los que estamos aprendiendo a conversar con la sociedad y las instituciones son un experimento que esperamos sea cada vez mas satisfactorio: ya estamos construyendo la version 2017 con el apoyo de las nuevas tecnologias digitales de manera que la potencia de la conexion vital colombiana se exprese en toda su capacidad. Por los contenidos es evidente que aun distamos mucho de tener una capacidad de seguimiento sistematico para la mayoria de temas relativos a la gestion de la biodiversidad y los servicios ecosistemicos, la unica manera de evaluar si las medidas de politica y las inversiones que realiza la sociedad estan teniendo los efectos deseados. De hecho, parte de las limitaciones reconocidas por robustamente los cambios positivos o negativos que afectan los diferentes niveles de organizacion de la vida planetaria, por lo cual las mismas metas de Aichi, nuestra carta de navegacion global, estan pendientes de verificacion. Un proposito adicional de este proceso es la invitacion a todos los colombianos para contribuir con la construccion y alimentacion de los indicadores basicos de seguimiento a la gestion, ya que es imposible identificar las tendencias de largo plazo en que estan inmersas la flora y fauna colombianas sin el apoyo de las instituciones, los investigadores y los ciudadanos: en el pais de la megadiversidad, el reto es inmenso. Por este motivo, este reporte ira abriendo sus paginas a expertos, incluso indigenas o de comunidades locales, para que presenten de manera sistematica y documentada sus perspectivas del cambio ambiental y sus efectos en la biodiversidad, con el animo de promover el compromiso de todos en su gestion. La unica manera de superar el riesgo de extincion es mediante un activo proceso de aprendizajes sociales que haga que todos los sectores asuman una parte de la compleja responsabilidad que significa proteger todas las formas de vida del pais, una decima parte mal contada de las planetarias. Agradezco a las decenas de personas que contribuyeron con este reporte, a quienes nos han apoyado en todas las etapas de produccion y a sus lectores y usuarios, quienes son en ultimo termino los jueces de su utilidad.